Red tide cleanup efforts underway in Lee County

As dead fish cleanup by Lee County continued on Tuesday, Boca Grade Beach saw more than just dead fish wash ashore this week.

Tuesday, August 7th 2018, 8:03 PM EDT by Alex Howard

Updated:

Tuesday, August 7th 2018, 8:12 PM EDT

As dead fish cleanup by Lee County continued on Tuesday, Boca Grade Beach saw more than just dead fish wash ashore this week. Two different dead sea turtles were found within a mile of each other on the deserted beach.

As for the cleanup, crews from Lee County continued to work to clear the beaches there, and on Sanibel Island. But in an effort to expedite the cleanup process, help came from Florida Fish and Wildlife. FWC waived restrictions on possessing fish. Bag limits, size and species restrictions were all temporarily rolled back on Tuesday to make picking up dead fish easier.

However, FWC is still urging beachgoers braving the red tide to clean up, not to try to remove specific sick or dead marine life. If you're on the beach and find a sick or dead sawfish, manatee, sea turtle, dolphin or whale, do not try to remove it. Instead, the FWC asks that you call their Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC.